Synopsis:
What issues have OIT and other users encountered and reported using Outlook Express to check their IMAP e-mail accounts?

Solution:
Clients such as Outlook Express are referred to as "Best Effort Support" clients. The Help Desk will endeavor to help you configure these applications, but we cannot promise satisfactory results due to known bugs that are confirmed by the application vendors. This solution contains the following information:

• Macintosh Outlook Express information
• Windows Outlook Express information
• Known Outlook Express Bugs
• Outlook Express and remote access connections

Macintosh Outlook Express
Currently, OIT finds that Outlook Express for the Macintosh is not compatible with the SMTP Authentication server and has not found any resolution. While you can configure version 5.3 to do so, it acts just like Entourage 2001 and also fails. Outlook 8.2 and Outlook 2001 are "microsoft exchange ONLY" e-mail clients. They do not support current IMAP/SMTP protocol standards.

Windows Outlook Express (version 4.7 or later):
Netscape iPlanet documentation for the current version of the Messaging Server software OIT runs explicitly states Outlook Express does not make proper IMAP connections to the server. Although customers may be able to successfully use Outlook Express to access e-mail on the server, we will be unable to report problems or errors that may arise to the vendor while using Outlook Express. The use of Outlook Express is not recommended for this reason.

• To check and modify settings, while in Outlook, go to the Tools menu and choose Accounts...
• Left-mouse-click once on the name of the mail account (i.e. mail.princeton.edu)
• Click on the Properties button.
• Click on the Servers tab and make sure the server entries look like this:
• Make the Incoming mail (IMAP): imap.princeton.edu
• Make the Outgoing mail (SMTP): smtp.princeton.edu
• Under Outgoing Mail Server, check the box for "My server requires authentication" and then click the Settings button.
• Check the box for "Use same setting as my incoming mail server" and then click OK.
• Click on the Advanced tab.
• Under Outgoing mail (SMTP) and under Incoming mail (IMAP or POP), check the box for "This server requires a secure connection (SSL)" and then click OK.
• You are back at the Account window. Click Close.
• Click on the OK button.

Some e-mail clients set message flags improperly. Outlook Express 5 in IMAP mode does not update message flags (Read, Deleted, etc.) on the server until the program exits. Users of Outlook Express (any version) using IMAP may see read messages revert back to an unread state. This is due to Outlook Express incorrectly using multiple connections to the same mailbox. This is a documented bug with Outlook Express in IMAP mode.

Known Outlook Express Bugs:
OE has a folder refresh button. If you alter the names of your IMAP folders or create new ones in a different client program (i.e. WebMail) you must tell OE explicitly to download the new folder list and then subscribe to the changed folders before they will appear in the folder list on the left.

When you copy e-mail in OE up to the IMAP server from anywhere else, it changes the date of the e-mail message to the date of the transfer, rather than the date you received it. Netscape does not do this.

E-mail notification options for OE are extremely limited.

E-mail sent to @lists.princeton.edu with attachments are garbled. This also does not occur with Netscape.

You may not be able to 'nest' folders (i.e. put folders within folders). OE may be unable to see them depending on the version of Outlook Express being used.

People have also reported general problems using e-mail filters.

Outlook Express and remote access connections:
The IMAP protocol prefers having an always-on connection (such as a corporate network, DSL, or cable). Hence, when used with any sort of dial-up service, there is some amount of manual coordination that is required on the part of the user. In most e-mail clients, this is simple -- the user must make sure that the dial-up service does not disconnect while they're using their email client. However, Outlook Express, because it tries to use both Windows networking settings as well as its own, the situation is a bit more complicated.

Often the application will attempt to disconnect after checking your e-mail. In order to make Outlook Express work with your dial-up connection, in the Tools|Options window, under the Connection tab, uncheck the box that says "Hang up after sending and receiving." By unchecking this, you are allowing the IMAP protocol to poll the IMAP server even when you have not asked it to send or receive e-mail.